


Chop Chop, Baby

by uwu_yeol



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A little bit of angst because idk how to write angst well, ChanBaek - Freeform, Chef Chanyeol, Fluff, M/M, baekhyun's really grumpy, chanyeol's really happy, coworkerstolovers??, jongdae is annoying, kinda shitty im sorry, restaurant, restaurant owner baekhyun, sorta crack?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 07:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20404153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uwu_yeol/pseuds/uwu_yeol
Summary: Baekhyun, a cold, ambitious restaurant owner is in need of a husband to solve family problems.Chanyeol, a cheerful, free spirited chef only accepts his boss' proposal on one term: he gets to use his kitchen.





	Chop Chop, Baby

_Chop. Chop. Chop. Thinly cut vegetables arranged aesthetically on a plate. Chop. Chop. Chop. The curves and folds of each piece complementing the colors of the main dish. Chop. Chop. Chop. A few extra herbs as a garnish. Chop. Chop. Chop. Some scallions to top it all off, add that extra burst of flavor. The aroma says it all. A culinary masterpiece. The colors and scents blend together to create a flavor that-_

“Park! Why the hell are you just standing there?! Get your dish to Jongdae, we don’t have any time for this, it’s a busy night! And for God’s sake, can you stop chopping your vegetables so loudly, I’m getting a damn headache!”

Chanyeol smiles sheepishly. “Ah sorry, Mr. Byun.” He passes the plate to Jongdae who heads over to the designated table, giving the customers their dish.

It’s a busy night, and Baekhyun’s really tired because he needs to make sure everything is going smoothly for his customers. And no matter how tiring it is, owning a restaurant has been his dream for a long time, so he must keep working to make sure his customers are satisfied. But he’s feeling incredibly worked up. It’s just that his parents have contacted him, after years of ignoring him, asking to meet him after the restaurant closes. It’s stressing him out, because his parents ignored him when he first started the restaurant (hoping that he'd give up his dream and go after a more useful job, but he just ignored them back and found his own success), and now they are suddenly meeting him after years. 

They used to call and check up on him when the restaurant first opened, but once he proved them wrong and the restaurant became prestigious, they forgot all about him, except for a few spontaneous and short calls here and there. The thing is that he hasn't _seen_ them in years. He has no idea what they want from him, because God forbid they come to actually _visit_ him.

Jongdae's wiping the last table and Minseok is washing the last few dishes. The rest of the waiters and chefs are all packing up their things, except Chanyeol. The said person is, instead, in the kitchen baking some gooey brownies for Mr. Byun because _he looked really worked up today and I'm sure these brownies will fix him right up!_

Baekhyun is doing paperwork at one of the tables, casually waving to his staff as they say their goodbyes and walk out of the restaurant. Jongdae dramatically sings his goodbye, slamming the door closed, making Baekhyun startled and jump out of his seat. _For fuck’s sake can he be any louder?_ That’s when the delicious smell hits him. He gets up in a trance and heads to the kitchen, finding his best chef holding a warm batch of brownies straight from the oven. 

“Hi Mr. Byun!” Chanyeol grins. “I whipped a yummy batch all for you. Looked like you needed some.”

Baekhyun has no time for Park’s chirpy personality. He wants his damn brownies and he wants to finish his paperwork. Maybe then he can smile and go home. But oh wait, he needs to see his parents. His mood sours.

“Yeah, thanks,” Baekhyun deadpans, snatching the tray and walking back to his table. 

Chanyeol just shrugs and packs his things, leaving through the back door, making sure not to bother his boss.

Baekhyun’s struggling to keep his shit together. He doesn’t know what’s coming for him as he’s pacing back and forth in his studio apartment, waiting for his parents to come knocking. What will they even think of him? He’s going through his inner turmoil when he hears three perfectly spaced knocks on his door. Swiftly, he opens the front door and sees his parents staring back at him, their faces expressionless.

“Hello, Mom, Dad.” Baekhyun ushers them to his couch, letting them get seated.

The two of them sit down simultaneously, leaving a little space between them on the couch, still not saying a word. Baekhyun notices the dark circles underneath their eyes, a little more wrinkles here and there, but still they look the same. 

“Uhm, would you like some tea?” Baekhyun offers, getting up.

His mother holds a hand up. “Not necessary. We’re just here to talk.”

“O...kay,” Baekhyun sits down, eyeing them suspiciously. “What are we talking about?”

“How was your day?” his mother says.

His dad rolls his eyes. “Let’s just cut the bullshit. Are you planning on getting married?”

“Honey!” his mother slaps his father’s arm. “You’re supposed to ease into it!”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen. “What?” Then, he’s angry. “What the hell! You came to visit me just to ask me that question?”

His mother sighs. “Baekhyun, we know that we aren’t the greatest parents-”

“Yeah, no shit.”

She clears her throat. “Ahem, language. Anyways, it is our job as parents” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. _They were hardly parents to him. Just strangers _“to make sure you’re living a good life and it’s the age to settle down and start a family, have a lovely wife a few childr-”

“I’m gay.” Baekhyun deadpans. “Might as well tell you guys now.”

His parents’ expressions still don’t change. 

His father smirks. “If you think that’s going to stop us from getting you married, try again kid. If you didn’t know, your uncle is gay and he is happily married to his husband.”

“Your brother is _gay?_” Baekhyun blurts out.

“Well, maybe if you’d paid any attention to our family the past ten years, you’d have known,” his father says.

His mother places her hand on Baekhyun’s. “I know we only ever call to ask you this, but it’d be nice to know if you have any plans on getting married. It’s not even us that’s forcing this, it’s your grandmother. She insists that all her grandchildren are married before she goes.”

Baekhyun’s astounded. _What kind of dying wish is that? _But it is his grandmother, and he loves her so much. She at least supported his dreams ever since he was a kid, and he’d do anything for her. 

Even if it means getting married.

Baekhyun sighs inwardly. “Well, good for you, I’m actually engaged,” he blurts out, not actually noticing the weight in his words.

His parents’ eyes bulge. “WHAT?!” they both shriek, standing up from the couch.

Baekhyun’s eyes widen as well. _Why the fuck did I say that?_

“Uhhh, yeah. I’ve been seeing this guy and we wanted to take the next step…” he trails off, trying to come up with some lie.

But his parents completely buy it.

“That’s great!”

“I’m proud you’ve found someone.”

“What’s he like?”

“He better treat you well.”

“I hope you’re happy.”

“You better introduce us to him!”

“Yeah, you better.”

Baekhyun chuckles awkwardly. “Ahaha, yeah I will.”

His parents get up and start to leave the room, not without turning around and saying one last thing:

“Invite us to the wedding!”

Then, the door slams shut.

Baekhyun flops onto the couch. His mind is racing.

  1. His parents visited him after years just to ask him to get married
  2. His parents told him his uncle is gay
  3. His parents only showed him emotion when he said he was engaged.
  4. Oh wait.
  5. He is now and engaged man without a fiance.

Baekhyun screams into his pillow._ Why the hell did he say he was engaged?_ He has no one to introduce his parents to. He needs to find a fiance. Fast.

He first texts his best friend, Sehun, to propose.

[Baekkie]: Sehun, will you marry me?

[Hunnie♡]: You've finally come around, huh?

[Hunnie♡]: Sorry, B, but this time I have a boyfriend, so I'll pass.

[Baekkie]: but I need to get married?!?!? My parents randomly visited and I lied telling them I'm engaged when they asked about marriage alsjjsjsmslsmsnajksks

[Hunnie♡]: woah wtf, your parents visited??? 

[Baekkie]: that's all you got from that?

[Hunnie♡]: B, I have no idea how to help. Ask around and find a fake fiance idk lol

Baekhyun groans. What the _fuck_.

The next morning brings forth a grouchy Baekhyun, making the restaurant staff very tensed up. All except for Chanyeol. 

“Hi, boss!” Chanyeol chirps, making the rest of the staff wince, knowing that Baekhyun could lash out at anyone at anytime.

Baekhyun just grumbles and walks by.

“Hey, boss! Did you like the brownies yesterday? I made them extra ooey-gooey so they’d be more delicious! How were they?” 

Baekhyun’s face is blank. “Fine.” 

But that never wavers the head chef. He just smiles brightly. “Thanks, boss!”

Baekhyun ignores him and starts texting Junmyeon, his other best friend.

[Baek]: Junmyeon, please marry me

[Myeonnn]: no. 

[Baek]: wtf, i didn’t even explain

[Myeonnn]: uhm, my /boyfriend/ just told me ur situation

[Baek]: but ur a better friend than him, plz marry me

[Myeonnn]: im gonna tell sehun that

[Baek]: NO DONT PLEASE

[Myeonnn]: baek, your problem cant be solved by either of us. Ur fam knows us you need to find someone that they dont know so it makes more sense.

[Baek]: dammit

[Myeonnn]: good luck, baek

Baekhyun wants to die. Maybe he should back out of this and tell his parents that he was lying. But, his grandma just wants him to get married. It’s not like he’ll be married exactly. He’ll just tell his grandma that they’re married and the end goodbye. It’s fine, right? No. Because he gets a text from his mom saying that they’ll come to visit every now and then to check up on them.

What a great family. Only gives a shit about him when he’s getting married. As if that brings him validation in life.

Now he needs to find someone who’ll be willing to have a live-in situation for a few months. Who the hell would want to do that? He looks at Jongdae. _Maybe?_

"Hey, Jongdae," Baekhyun starts, already feeling weird about this.

"Yes, Mr. Byun? What do you need?" Jongdae replies, with way too much enthusiasm.

"A husband."

Jongdae gasps. "What?!"

"Will you marry me? I need to get married."

Jongdae is shocked to say the least. He knew his boss was a little weird. But this shit is _crazy._

"Uhm, no? I don't want to get married, no matter what the circumstances are. Sorry, boss."

Baekhyun groans. "I told my mom I was engaged and my grandma wants to see me get married before she passes and I don't want to but I need a fake fiance for a few months…"

Jongdae steps closer to his boss, patting his arm reassuringly. "I'm sorry for your situation, but I'm sure you'll find someone to help you."

And then he's off to wait a table. The rest of the day, Baekhyun is moping in his office, too upset to oversee business. People walk in and out of his office, asking questions, but all he wants is for someone to propose to him so his life will be a little easier.

At the end of the night, Baekhyun finally decides to leave his room and see his staff off. A wave to Seulgi, a nod to Jongdae, a smile to Seokjin. He continues to watch them all go, until the last one steps out and he's surrounded by silence. Until he hears footsteps from the kitchen.

_Warm dough with a crispy crunch. Chop. Chop. Chop. Melted chocolate chunks buried in little nooks of batter. Baked to perfection. The smell of perfect, warm, delicious chocolate chip cookies. Maybe a little more chocolate. Chop. Chop. Chop. Sprinkle more chocolate on top for extra crun-_

"Park! Stop chopping so loud! What are you doing?!" Baekhyun barks, fussing over the mess in the kitchen.

"Hi, boss! I made some chocolate chip cookies for you. Figured you needed them since you looked a little down in the dumps again. Here ya go!" Chanyeol shoves the plate into Baekhyun's arms, waiting for him to take a bite.

Baekhyun bites off a bit from the cookie, and _oh my god it is incredible one of the best cookies ever made wow._

"It's fine." Baekhyun says, pacing around the room.

"Thanks, Mr. Byun! Would you like to talk about what's going on? It's good to get things off your chest, you know!"

Baekhyun tries not to groan. This guy has way too much energy for him to deal with. But he's also tired and can't think straight and so everything bothers him. 

Maybe he _should _get somethings off his chest.

He sighs. "Uhh, well the problem is that my grandmother is getting old, and her only wish, for some odd reason, is for all her grandchildren to be married before she goes. And I'm the only one who isn't and I'd feel like shit if I just ignored her wish, so I lied to my family and said I was engaged but I don't even have a fiance, so now I'm stuck trying to find someone who'll pretend to marry me for a few months but I've been rejected like five times."

Chanyeol doesn't say anything. Instead he picks up a cookie and takes a bite.

"Are you sure they're fine? They taste better than fine to me."

Baekhyun glares. "Park."

The taller grins all goofy. "Sorry, boss! The thing is, Mr. Byun, that's a rough situation and I have no idea how to help yo-"

Baekhyun's last chance is right here. _You can do it. Take the chance, Baekhyun. Just ask._

"Will you marry me, then?"

Chanyeol drops his cookie.

Baekhyun winces.

Chanyeol's mouth falls open.

Baekhyun cringes.

Chanyeol stares.

Baekhyun freaks out.

"Well?" the smaller asks, squeezing his hands together.

"Boss. _You_ are asking _me_ to marry you?" Chanyeol stumbles out, walking closer to his boss.

"It's not really a marriage, Park. It's merely an arrangement between two people to satisfy my grandmother. It's just a few months of living with me just to show my family that I’m married."

Chanyeol sighs. "Uhm, I'm not really sure about this-"

"But you'll think about it, right? Park don't give up on me. If you want to help me, this is the only thing I can think of," Baekhyun sternly says.

"I'll think about it, boss." 

Baekhyun's satisfied with that. He has _some _hope. He goes to pack his things, letting the chef do the same. Once he's done cleaning his desk and locking the door to the office, Chanyeol approaches him.

"Boss?"

"Yes, Park."

"I've thought about it..."

"And?"

"I've decided that I've got nothing to lose here! As long as I get to use your high tech kitchen equipment to try out recipes, I'll also be benefitting. So it's a win-win!"

Baekhyun holds in a sigh of relief. "Go all out, Park."

Chanyeol beams.

  


It's weird for Baekhyun to have one of his staff members just living in his apartment, but he tries not to think about it too much. Chanyeol lives alone as well, and he reassured Baekhyun that he isn't worrying his own family or anything by moving into his boss’ house. They had moved Chanyeol's stuff into Baekhyun's apartment over the weekend, trying to make it look like Chanyeol had been living with him all this time.

But he hadn't. And it was really fucking awkward. The last day of moving brought the question of ground rules. 

"Ok, Park. We need to lay out some rules here. I know this is all really for my benefit, but I need to know that my house is safe if you're living in it."

Chanyeol looks confused. “What does that mean?”

Baekhyun ignores him. “Number one. Don’t come into my room. Ever.”

Chanyeol nods slowly.

“Number two. You have access to all my kitchen equipment, but you must buy your own ingredients for whatever you want to make.”

Chanyeol nods again. “That’s fair.”

“Number three. Don’t try to talk to me here. It’s my house. I want peace and quiet. No noise.”

“But what about when I’m cooking?”

“I don’t know. Figure that out by yourself.” Baekhyun walks to his bedroom and slams the door. 

Chanyeol shakes his head. _What the hell has he gotten himself into?_

The days drag on slowly, each day the two of them waking up in separate beds, not talking over breakfast and heading to the same restaurant in two different cars. Baekhyun talked to the taller even less when they were at work, if that was even possible, and Chanyeol gave up on making little treats to make his boss feel better. Their "married" routine was pretty shitty, if you asked either of them.

  


But things started to change a few weeks later. Chanyeol had come home a little late, after grocery shopping, a little too excited to make some lasagna. Baekhyun's on the couch, watching some reality show and eating some popcorn.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, preparing a real meal for his boss. It was a challenge trying to keep quiet in the house, since he is very much the opposite of quiet, but he's trying very hard to not bother his boss. Baekhyun is easily annoyed, and though Chanyeol is technically doing a favor for him, he's still afraid of threatening to leave, because who knows what the older could do.

Baekhyun’s sort of falling asleep, yet Chanyeol’s lasagna is still baking in the oven. He’s made the sauce from scratch (which took him a while to get it really flavorful), and he needed to assemble the dish well also. Finally, when the oven _dings!, _Chanyeol takes the dish out of the oven. 

_Chop. Chop. Chop. Just a few fresh herbs to bring out the taste. Chop. Chop. Chop. Just sprinkled on top here and there. Chop. Chop-_

“Park! What the hell did I tell you about noise in this house? Stop the goddamn chopping!”

“Sorry!” Chanyeol says, as he plates the lasagna on some of Baekhyun’s fancy plates.

He rushes over to the older, holding the plate out to him. “Try this, Mr. Byun.”

Baekhyun cuts into the pasta in one swift forkful, eating it just as quick. _Damn, this is so good. The cheese is melting perfectly and the lasagna is cooked just right._

“It’s fine.” Baekhyun says, expressionless. 

Chanyeol grins. “Thanks, boss!”

The two of them settle on the couch, the only sound in the room is the occasional clinking of a fork against a plate. Other than that, they’re just eating in what Chanyeol considers to be torturous silence and what Baekhyun considers well-deserving peace.

That silence is short-lived. A clap of thunder shakes the sky, the sound echoing throughout the area. As soon as it happens, Baekhyun flinches visibly. Chanyeol doesn’t say anything. 

But then the thunder keeps rumbling. And Baekhyun keeps flinching, wincing, and oh did Chanyeol hear a little bit of a whimper? 

Chanyeol scooches over to the other side of the couch where Baekhyun’s sitting.

“Boss, are you okay?” 

Baekhyun grunts. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Do you need-”

“I’m fine!” Baekhyun yells, his words echoing through spacious room.

The older gets up, walks to his bedroom, and (as per brand) slams the door shut.

Chanyeol decides that it’s best not to bother him for a bit. He finishes up his lasagna and washes the dishes, while heating up some tea for Baekhyun. The storm finally starts, heavy rain pelting against the roof and lightning crackling through the sky. After about half an hour, Chanyeol knocks on the older’s door. 

“Mr. Byun? I made some tea for you.”

A beat. Then a quiet _come in_ is heard. Chanyeol pushes the door open, revealing Baekhyun sitting on the edge of his bed, massaging his temples and tapping his feet impatiently. Chanyeol gives his boss the cup of tea.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Byun?” Chanyeol inquires, watching his boss sip the tea. 

A sigh. “Thunder sort of freaks me out. It’s bothered me since I was a little kid.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol looks down at his feet. “Didn’t your parents send you to therapy or something? I think you can get help for those sort of phobias.”

“My parents didn’t give a shit about me. Not when I was a kid. Not now. I just dealt with all my problems alone.”

Chanyeol feels really bad. His parents pampered him when he was a kid. He could never imagine being all alone. 

“Don’t pity me, Park. I’m fine, aren’t I?” Baekhyun smiles mockingly at himself, choosing to trace his finger around the rim of the teacup, rather than stare up at the chef.

Chanyeol sighs. “It’s okay, boss. It’s just a little thunder. You have a roof over you and you have me to talk to. You’ll be okay.”

The taller has the sudden urge to hug his boss, but he knows he’d get like fired or something, so he chooses to give him a reassuring smile.

Baekhyun nods slightly. “Thanks, Park.”

  


They still hardly talk, but the atmosphere of the apartment over the next few weeks isn’t as awkward. Chanyeol smiles to Baekhyun every morning, taking pride in making a fresh cup of coffee for the both of them each day. They might share a few words here and there, but still, the apartment remains quiet. 

  


It’s on a late-ish Saturday morning that things go into different territory. Chanyeol’s had a long-ass week and so he’s sleeping in while trying to ignore the sunlight from the windows. He’s snuggling closer into his pillow when suddenly the door bursts open and Baekhyun is standing there in all his five foot nine glory, hair disheveled, pajamas wrinkled, and panic written all over his face.

Chanyeol sits up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “What’s wrong, boss?”

Baekhyun runs over to where Chanyeol is and grabs his arm with such force that Chanyeol is 100% sure that it popped out of its socket. 

“Ow! What the hell!” Chanyeol screams.

“Get out of bed. My parents are coming home. They just texted me.”

But Chanyeol’s way too tired for this. “I _need _to sleep, boss. Just an hour. _Please._”

Baekhyun shakes his head. 

“Mr. Byunnnnnnnn. I can't function properly without my sleep. What if...I expose us to your parents?” Chanyeol says with an over dramatic gasp.

Baekhyun stills. He can’t risk that. “Fine, let’s go to my room. We still need to sleep together if we want to look engaged.”

Chanyeol stills. “Wait, what?”

But Baekhyun don’t answer. Instead, he pulls the taller to his bedroom, pushing him onto the bed and putting a blanket over him. He pats his back a few times to show support? affection? Chanyeol doesn’t really know.

“Wow, boss. That’s real romantic.”

“Shut up.” Baekhyun gets on the other side of the bed, pulling the covers over him and smushing a pillow over his head.

“Boss, we still don’t look engaged,” Chanyeol says.

Baekhyun lifts his head. “And why is that? Isn’t this enough?”

He grins. “When you’re engaged, you’re in love-”

“No _shit_.”

“Let me finish, boss. Because you’re in love, you’d want to be as close to them as possible. To feel their love, their presence, their heartbeat even.”

“So…?”

“So, boss, I’d do this.” He throws his arm over Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun flinches, but doesn’t move away.

“And you’d put your fingers through my hair,” Chanyeol continues, taking the shorter’s hand and threading his dainty fingers through his own hair.

Chanyeol smiles. “And I’d hold you closer.”

Baekhyun’s pulled so close to Chanyeol, he can count each of the taller’s tiny moles scattered around his face. It’s weird.

“Park, I find this highly inappropria-”

“Shhh, Mr. Byun. You gave me this job. I’m doing this right. Just watch.”

Baekhyun shuts up after that, choosing to lean his head against the chef’s chest, the warmth from his body spreading to him as well. And they find themselves dozing off again.

“Oh my gosh! Hello, Baekhyun’s fiance!” A high pitched voice of excitement says, waking the two of them up.

They both sit up simultaneously and stare wide-eyed at the older’s parents.

His mother smiles at the two of them, but Baekhyun can tell it’s fake. 

He plays along anyways.

“Uhm mom and dad, this is my fiance Chanyeol. Chanyeol, these are my parents.”

Chanyeol grins and gets out of bed, bowing to the two of them politely. He shakes their hands and smiles. 

“I’ve heard so much about you guys from bos- Baekhyun. It’s great to finally meet you.”

Mrs. Byun’s fake-ass smile is still there as she nods to the taller. His father just stares.

It’s pretty awkward.

Chanyeol clears his throat. “Well! Let me make some breakfast for all of us!” 

They all slink over to the kitchen, where Chanyeol is working his culinary magic for the Byun family to see. He’s making omelettes, but the way he’s smiling while cooking, enjoying every step of cooking, makes Baekhyun’s parents watch in awe. But oh my god he’s chopping some scallions and Baekhyun’s losing his mind over the sound.

Mrs. Byun nudges her son’s side. “What did you say his job was?”

“I never said.” Baekhyun replies, cutting off the conversation at that.

By then, Chanyeol’s finished plating their breakfast, passing the food to each of the family members. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Byun take a bite, they sigh dramatically and compliment Chanyeol on his fine cooking. Baekhyun just says, “It’s fine.”

Baekhyun’s mother makes conversation, small things, trying to dig deeper about Chanyeol. But the younger answers cunningly, dodging all of her weird questions.

His father sits up a little. “Why weren’t you here when we visited our son a few weeks ago?”

Baekhyun has no excuse for that.

Chanyeol just smiles. “I had gone out grocery shopping for dinner! Baekhyunnie just _loves _ when I cook him a nice meal after a long day at work.”

His dad raises an eyebrow but says nothing else. 

The rest of the morning is spent dealing with stupid questions and suspicious looks, but Chanyeol deals with all of it. It’s really surprising to Baekhyun. He’d thought the chef would do the bare minimum as long as he could cook in his kitchen. He’d never thought that he’d craft a beautiful story of how they met and how they’re planning the wedding. It’s weird.

At some point, his mother notices her son’s hands, that are fiddling together. Then she notices something else.

“Where’s your ring?”

Baekhyun’s hands stop moving and he looks up at his mother. 

“Uhhhm...it’s-”

“It’s being resized!” Chanyeol cuts in, saving the day again. “I got it a little too big for him, so I sent it back to the jeweler so they could resize it and make sure it fits snug on his beautiful fingers. We wouldn’t want it to slip off and get lost, now would we?” He nudges the older.

Baekhyun fakes a smile and nods.

His parents seem to be satisfied with that answer. It’s about late noon, so the two of them leave Baekhyun’s apartment to go home. Once the door shuts behind them, Baekhyun loses it.

“Beautiful fingers?! _Baekhyunnie?!_” He yells, brows furrowing at the taller.

Chanyeol takes a step back holding his hands up in defeat. “What's wrong with that? Using pet names makes it more believable!”

“What the hell, Park-”

“Chanyeol. Just call me Chanyeol. It sounds better when you call me that,” the taller interrupts, recalling how his boss had introduced him to his parents. 

Baekhyun just grumbles something and goes to his room, slamming the door shut.

  


There are nights when they both come home from work especially late, dead tired and too lazy to eat. Usually, Baekhyun heads straight to his room without conversation, and Chanyeol ends up watching dramas on the couch. But tonight, Baekhyun joins him there, intently watching the show, getting angry at characters and yelling at others. It’s all quite amusing to the taller, and he wants to say something, but then the main character gets slapped, so then all his attention is back on the screen again.

At one point, Chanyeol is so engrossed in the show, that he doesn’t notice Baekhyun falling asleep. That is, until the older leans his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder out of exhaustion. Chanyeol jumps a little, not even aware that his boss was sitting that close to him for him to fall asleep on him. Chanyeol doesn’t really know what to do, so he just lets his boss sleep there, leaning his head on top of Baekhyun’s and staring at the T.V. screen.

It’s the next morning when Baekhyun wakes up in the most uncomfortable position, his neck awkwardly tilted and leaning on Chanyeol’s shoulder. Wait.

Baekhyun quickly jerks his head off the taller’s shoulder, waking Chanyeol up in the process.

The younger’s eyes flutter open, eyes adjusting to his surroundings. But all he sees is his boss glaring at him.

“What the hell, Park! You could’ve just woken me up when I fell asleep!” Baekhyun yells, scowling at the chef.

Chanyeol shrugs. “First of all, it’s Chanyeol. Second, I didn’t notice. I fell asleep too,” he lies.

Baekhyun narrows his eyes but doesn’t say anything, choosing to get off the couch and take a shower. Chanyeol does the same.

Chanyeol’s buttoning up his shirt in the living room when Baekhyun walks in the room to find his keys. He cringes when he sees Chanyeol skipping buttons with the clasps, and making his shirt uneven. He steps closer to the chef, holding his hands that are still buttoning the shirt.

“You’re doing it all wrong, Par-Chanyeol. Here.”

He unbuttons the entire shirt, completely unfazed by Chanyeol’s exposed chest and solely focuses on matching the right button with the clasp. But Chanyeol’s ears are red, and he feels heat rushing to his face as he watches his boss button up his shirt. Once the shorter is done, he reaches up and fixes Chanyeol’s collar as well, fingers brushing along the taller’s neck and making him blush harder. But Baekhyun doesn’t notice.

He steps back, looking at the taller. “All good. Let’s go to work, I can drop you today.”

Chanyeol cocks his head. “Are you sure? Won’t people ask questions?”

Baekhyun shrugs and grabs his key, avoiding the question. _Oh._ Chanyeol gets it. They’d just avoid all questions asked.

  
  


Once they park in the parking lot, Chanyeol gets out first, going straight to the back door and heading to the kitchen. Baekhyun shakes his head at the chef’s ambition and heads to his office. 

Today’s a little busier than normal, and Chanyeol just loves it. He loves working under pressure, because that’s when his dishes turn out better tasting. They’re on a major time crunch and Baekhyun keeps yelling at his chefs to “Get your shit together or I’ll fire your sorry asses!” But Chanyeol knows not to take his little boss too seriously, he’s harmless. He’s a little cold, maybe a little snobby, but he’s definitely nicer than he seems-

A bit of some stew that he’s cooking bubbles and sprayed on his button up. _Shit. _It’s a new shirt. He tries to wipe it off with some paper towels, but the stain is prominent on the fabric. Chanyeol rolls his eyes and finishes his stew. As he’s passing the dish to Jongdae, Baekhyun walks by, quickly noticing the stain on Chanyeol’s shirt. 

“You really are doing the worst for that shirt today,” he says blankly, before walking away.

Chanyeol shrugs and works on his next meal. It’s weird seeing his boss not yell at him during work.

The day at work is wrapping up and the whole staff is talking about random shit, when Jongdae pulls Chanyeol aside.

“Is there something going on between you and boss?” Jongdae asks, amusement written clearly over his face.

Chanyeol keeps his cool, crossing his arms over his chest. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Uhm, maybe because I’m not _blind_, Chanyeol. I saw you two coming to the restaurant together today. And he was talking somewhat civilized towards you. If that’s even possible.”

Chanyeol walks away, avoiding the question, just like Baekhyun had showed him. Jongdae smirks. He’s totally onto them. 

Chanyeol’s cooking is really damn good and both Baekhyun and the chef himself knows it. So whenever Baekhyun mutters the infamous, “It’s fine.” Chanyeol knows that he thinks it’s better than fine. Yet, Chanyeol tries to get a different sentence out of his boss every time he gives him food. It hasn’t worked so far, but he loves the challenge. 

He’s cooking some simple soup, but making the flavor really intense, adding extra herbs and spices to make it more interesting. Baekhyun walks into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe, watching the taller cooking with glee. Chanyeol spoons some of the soup into a ladle and offers some to the older.

“Here, boss. Tell me how it is.”

Baekhyun moves to take the ladle in his hands, but Chanyeol moves his hand slightly. Baekhun doesn’t say anything and lets the younger feed him the soup. 

“It’s okay. Needs salt,” Baekhyun says, expressionless.

Chanyeol takes a sip from the ladle, the same spot Baekhyun drank from, the smaller notices. It’s not like he _cares_ or anything. Okay, maybe a little.

“Mmm, yeah maybe a little.” He salts it a bit, adding a few more herbs before spooning some more out and offering it to his boss.

Baekhyun lets himself be fed. It’s weirdly domestic, but he stays quiet. Opting to deadpan his response.

“It’s fine.”

Chanyeol grins. He lost the challenge, but it’s okay. 

  


One night, Chanyeol comes home with a splitting headache, immediately disregarding Baekhyun’s presence and heading straight to bed. It worries Baekhyun just a little, but he lets him be.

But the next morning, when Baekhyun heads to the kitchen, there’s no sign of the younger making coffee, and the sight of an empty kitchen weirds him out. He checks to see if the bathroom is occupied, but it isn’t. There isn’t much time, and the two of them need to head to work in less than forty five minutes. He knocks a couple times on guest room door, hoping that the chef is awake, but he hears no response. Slowly pushing the door open, Baekhyun sees Chanyeol sleeping in an uncomfortable position, his brows furrowed in his sleep, and sweat all over his forehead. Baekhyun panics and touches the chef’s face, noticing how warm it is. He shakes the younger awake, trying to get him to sit up.

“Chanyeol. You’re sick.”

Chanyeol shakes his head, still adjusting to the morning light. “I’m fine! I’ll be good if I just take some medicine.”

“I don’t think so. I don’t want you to spread your illness to the staff. We’re staying home today.”

Baekhyun isn’t giving him an option. Just a demand.

Chanyeol slumps, but then he’s sneezing and his nose is all blocked and he can’t breathe right and-

“Let me get some medicine for you.” Baekhyun leaves the room, searching through the cabinet for something to help. By the way Chanyeol looks, Baekhyun decides that he’ll take the day off and help the younger. He calls Jongdae to let him know, letting him take over the place for the day.

When Baekhyun enters the room again, Chanyeol’s dozing off into his pillow, probably dreaming of a new recipe or something.

“Chanyeol, take your medicine.”

The taller sits upright and takes the medicine, swallowing it and cringing slightly.

“They have _got_ to make those taste better.”

Baekhyun shrugs. “Not everyone has talent like you do.” And then he’s walking away.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen as he lets the thought sink in. An _actual_ compliment from his boss. What an honor.

Baekhyun’s making some soup for the younger, trying to fiddle with spices and such, but he really can’t do it like Chanyeol himself. Baekhyun’s a decent cook, he owns a restaurant for fuck’s sake, but he never took pride in it. He’d rather taste dishes, decide menus, oversee his staff, and watch his customers smile with satisfaction as they enjoy a good meal.

But the soup tastes pretty good in his opinion, so he heads over to the guest bedroom. Chanyeol’s on his phone, staring wide eyed at it.

“Boss. I texted Jongdae that I’m not going to work, and he said that he’s “onto us.” What are we supposed to do?”

Baekhyun sighs. “It’s fine. I can always threaten to fire him if he says anything.”

He says it with no expression, but it still makes Chanyeol laugh, smacking the pillows and all. 

Chanyeol looks pretty when he laughs, but Baekhyun doesn’t say anything. Instead he gives the bowl of soup to the younger and watches intently as he takes a sip.

“Wow, bos-”

“Baekhyun.”

“Wow, Baekhyun. It’s really good! I never knew you’d be this good at cooking!”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “I own a restaurant,” he deadpans.

Chanyeol smiles sheepishly and just finishes his soup. Once he’s done however, Baekhyun urges him to rest a little more. But as Baekhyun is picking up the soup bowl to wash, Chanyeol reaches out and grabs his arm, a silent plea obvious on his face. Baekhyun sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed, patting a rhythm Chanyeol’s back until he falls asleep. Baekhyun finds himself staring at the chef, thoughts running through his mind. Chanyeol is one of the most passionate people he has ever met. He puts his love for cooking before everything else, chasing his dreams and further improving his skills. He’s really lucky to have a chef like him in his restaurant. He’s lucky to have him as a fake fiance as well. 

Baekhyun pushes the hair on Chanyeol’s forehead up and out of the way, studying his facial features. He looks younger than his real age. Maybe because he’s always laughing or something. Baekhyun can’t relate. 

When Chanyeol wakes up a couple hours later, Baekhyun is still watching over him fondly, hand still on his back. Chanyeol feels an odd rush of happiness when he realizes Baekhyun stayed back and took care of him. 

Chanyeol sits up. “Thanks for staying back, Baekhyun. That’s very kind of you,” he says as he stretches his arms. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, opting to give the taller a glass of water and leave the room right after. Chanyeol sits in silence, basking in all the attention he’s received today. He admires his boss a whole lot, and he’s sure Baekhyun’s nicer than he seems; he just needs to find out how to bring that side out of him. It kind of annoys Chanyeol that Baekhyun has literally no range of emotion, but he doesn’t let it get to him.

  


Once Chanyeol gets back to work a few days later, Jongdae’s already asking stupid questions to get information out of the poor chef.

“You and Mr. Byun are having an affair. Am I right or am I right?”

Chanyeol just sighs, adding salt to his boiling water.

“Or, you guys are friends with benefits? Employees with benefits?”

Chanyeol pours some pasta into the pot.

Jongdae snaps his fingers and points. “Ooh, I got it! You’re fake fiances!”

Chanyeol drops his wooden spoon. “How the hell do you know?”

Jongdae smirks. “I’ll have you know that Mr. Byun proposed to me as well. He was really desperate.”

  
Chanyeol grunts and pretends that this information didn’t bother him. Baekhyun had told him he had been rejected by many others before asking him, but it still kind of stung for some reason. Chanyeol shakes his head. _What’s wrong with you, Chanyeol? That’s your boss, for crying out loud._

Baekhyun walks into the kitchen, yelling at the chefs (as usual) and telling them to hurry up. When he approaches Chanyeol, his expression softens a bit, his voice much more mellow.

“Hey, you gotta hurry up, okay? There’s a company meeting here, we don’t want them to wait too long,” Baekhyun says, choosing his words carefully and then leaving the kitchen.

All the chefs stare at Chanyeol in awe. Jongdae smirks, patting the taller’s arm.

“Yeah, I’m totally onto you guys.”

  


Baekhyun’s being much nicer to Chanyeol these days, and Chanyeol’s not really sure what to do with this information. Baekhyun would smile a little every morning once Chanyeol gave him coffee, he’d initiate conversation more, they’d spend more time watching movies together, and overall Baekhyun was slowly growing closer to Chanyeol, and for once, the taller had no reaction. It just felt natural to him. 

Baekhyun has no idea what’s happening to him. His stomach feels weird whenever he sees Chanyeol smile, laugh, or cook with love. It’s making him uneasy, and he keeps getting the impulse to talk more with Chanyeol (though he is the one who banned conversation in his house). But he just wants to get to know him more, he doesn’t know why.

Chanyeol has a crush. It’s tiny, and he’s just realized it, but it’s definitely there. Whenever his boss takes care of him, speaks softly, or just eats his food, Chanyeol feels his stomach flutter. It’s the butterflies, and he loves the feeling of it. He hasn’t had a crush in a while, and this one looks much more promising than the previous ones. Because he’s technically “engaged” to him. He’s noticed that there isn’t much distance between them anymore, recalling how Baekhyun used to ignore him and now he buttons the taller’s shirt every morning before work. It’s weirdly rewarding to Chanyeol, because he’s seeing more sides of his boss that he’s pretty sure that even his parents haven’t seen, and it makes him feel special. 

  


Once Baekhyun started to lose his shit over his chef, he gets home and immediately starts texting Sehun, trying to get help.

[Baekkie]: sehun, this is important

[Hunnie♡]: no

[Baekkie]: please, sehun

[Hunnie♡]: no

[Baekkie]: it has to do with my fake fiance

[Hunnie♡]: chanyeol?

[Hunnie♡]: what about him?

[Baekkie]: idk, something’s up. I feel like im being too nice to him at work, but idk how to stop it

[Hunnie♡]: huh. Since when are you nice to anyone?

[Baekkie]: shut up and help me

[Hunnie♡]: uhm, from what you’re saying, you seem to have a soft spot for the guy

[Baekkie]: what? Whats that supposed to mean?

[Hunnie♡]: idk you being nice to him at work, when you usually aren’t

[Hunnie♡]: kinda shows that you’re having a change of heart about him?

[Baekkie]: it’s not like i hated him before...

[Hunnie♡]: yeah, but you like him more now? More than before?

[Baekkie]: i guess? 

[Hunnie♡]: then there you go. You’ve grown close to someone, B. It’s not easy for you to let that happen. Don’t lose the friendship.

[Baekkie]: okay.

Baekhyun sighs. So he thinks Chanyeol is a friend. So what? Why can’t he stop being nice to him? Why does it bother him that he’s yelled at him before? Baekhyun has no idea. Maybe he really values his friendships? Whatever, he'd rather just sleep his problems off.

As he's tossing and turning in bed that night, Baekhyun realizes he hasn't slept well in a long time. The last time he slept properly was...well it was when he fake cuddled with Chanyeol a few weeks ago. He's really damn tired and he can't think straight, so he picks himself off his bed and heads into Chanyeol's bedroom, where the taller is definitely_ not_ thinking about his crush and blushing.

Baekhyun approaches taller, looking at him all groggily and stumbles out a sentence.

"Youneedtosleepwithmemyparentsarecominghomesoon."

Chanyeol blinks.

Baekhyun grumbles. "You need to sleep with me because my parents are coming home soon."

"I heard you the first time. It's just that...it's night. Why would they come now?"

"They're just weird like that, now come on," Baekhyun lies, pulling the taller's hand and dragging him to the master bedroom.

Chanyeol’s pushed under the covers, and Baekhyun remembers what Chanyeol had taught him before, curling into the taller and burying his face into his chest. Chanyeol’s kind of confused, but he just pulls his boss closer and closes his eyes.

Chanyeol wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering that Baekhyun’s parents were supposed to come home, but before he can think about what happened, his eyes are closing again. 

Baekhyun’s eyes flutter open in the morning, adjusting to the brightness, when he notices the position he’s in. His head is against the chef’s chest and he can hear his steady heartbeat. Chanyeol’s arm is tightly wrapped around his waist, and his head is buried into Baekhyun’s hair. The shorter feels his face heating and his stomach fluttering, and he has no idea what to do with it. _Maybe I’m sick? Maybe a stomach bug? I need medicine. _He tries to sit up, but Chanyeol’s arm is pulling him down, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to move anytime soon. He sighs and stays curled up next to the chef, watching his face scrunch and relax as he dreams. 

He doesn’t know how long he stares at Chanyeol’s face, but the younger’s waking up and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. So he just stares. Chanyeol’s eyes open and he’s greeted with Baekhyun’s dark eyes staring back at him. And they don’t move. They just watch each other.

After a while, Chanyeol shifts a bit, attempting to remove his hand from Baekhyun’s waist, but the older just pulls his arm back down.

“Just keep it there,” he says, making Chanyeol’s heart hammer in his chest.

If Baekhyun was still against his chest, he could’ve heard it clearly.

“It really feels like we’re married, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers, immediately regretting it after the silence that follows. 

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything and raises a hand to play with the messy bangs that are scattered all over Chanyeol’s forehead. Chanyeol blushes, and Baekhyun doesn't know to do with this information, so he just continues to play with his bangs, smoothing them over and paying with the strands of hair. It's odd to be in bed with someone, let alone someone who works for you, but Baekhyun isn't necessarily complaining. It’s just that it’s… weird. But Baekhyun doesn’t get time to dwell on the thought, since Chanyeol is getting up and they’re both getting ready for work, both coming in late, and since Baekhyun’s the boss, no one can say anything about it. 

  


That weekend, Baekhyun visits his grandmother. It’s been almost six months since they’ve spoken, and he really misses her. He leaves Chanyeol in charge of the apartment, but the chef thinks it’s too much of a responsibility, so he just chooses to go back to his own apartment and chill there for a bit. 

When he finds his grandmother sitting on the couch, all withered but still smiling, Baekhyun feels his heart crack a bit. He gathers her frail body in a hug and finally smiles in front of her because _Baekhyunnie, you can’t keep frowning! My grandson looks much more handsome when he’s smiling his pretty smile. _His grandmother smiles back at him, and pats the couch, ushering him to sit down. They make small talk about the weather, the restaurant, forgotten family members before Baekhyun asks the main question he’s been itching to know the answer to.

“Why do you want me to get married so badly, grandmother? It’s kind of a burden for your “last wish” to be to get me married off like a prize,” he looks questioningly at his grandmother who gasps loudly.

“Is that what your parents said about me? I never said it was my “last wish” or anything! I never said you had to get married at all! Those fools! Your parents are crazy, Baekhyunnie I can’t believe you turned out sane.”

Baekhyun chuckles, reaching out and holding her hand. “Then what did you wish for?”

“I didn’t wish for anything! I just merely stated when they visited that I hoped you’d find love soon, that’s all. They completely twisted my words, and for what? For their own entertainment? They’re messed up, Baekhyunnie, completely messed up.”

“Grandmother, that’s your kid,” he says, shaking his head and smiling softly.

“It doesn’t matter! Neither of them know how to parent, it’s frustrating!”

Baekhyun laughs at that, agreeing quickly.

“But still, Baekhyunnie. I’m not forcing marriage on you, I swear. I just want you to be happy. Your restaurant has brought you halfway there. And personally, I think finding someone who’ll care for you as much as you care for your job is one thing that you need to feel complete.”

Baekhyun smiles, holding his grandmother’s hand. “Thanks, grandmother. But...what do we do with my parents?”

She smirks. “Let’s just play along with them for a while.”

  


Baekhyun, after the first time, would keep asking the chef to sleep next to him using the excuse of his parents visiting every time. When Chanyeol finally confronted him, though, Baekhyun had no idea what to say.

“Baekhyun, why do you want me to sleep next to you? Your parents never show up.”

Baekhyun blinks repeatedly. “Uhh...the thing is, Chanyeol I…”

Chanyeol, standing there, arms crossed across his chest, his biceps bulging from his tight T-shirt sleeves.

Baekhyun continues. “Well…I just realized that I find myself sleeping more peacefully if someone’s next to me. Uhm, if you’re next to me.”

Chanyeol’s expression softens and the taller stretches a hand out, Baekhyun immediately takes it and lets himself be led to the master bedroom, where they both cuddle under the covers and let their minds wander.

Now, all Baekhyun has to do is knock on Chanyeol’s door and the taller would be in his pajamas, ready to cuddle. It’s a big step for Baekhyun to open himself so much to someone, and Chanyeol’s really proud of his boss for it.

  


There’s one night especially in which Baekhyun opens up the most to Chanyeol. They’ve both come home late from work, but neither of them are tired. They binge a bunch of Marvel movies, which lead to discussions on how everything is connected. Baekhyun’s getting really heated up about their argument, and Chanyeol kinda loves seeing his boss all angry over something that isn’t work. To calm him down, Chanyeol starts cooking some simple, boring pasta just to keep himself busy. Baekhyun finally calms down, and starts pouring some wine into glasses to keep himself busy as well. They’re both drinking and refilling wine glasses as they wander around the kitchen. At one point Chanyeol starts humming a song as he cooks, Baekhyun joining him as well. The both look at one another, questioning looks in their eyes, but they don’t say anything. They just do their own thing, the only thing connecting them is the mysterious tune that hums off their lips.

They both finish the song, and Chanyeol looks up and finds the older softly smiling to himself. Smiling. Chanyeol tries not to say anything, but he just watches and appreciates how beautiful Baekhyun is when he’s smiling like that. 

“Hey, Baekhyun.”

“Mmm?” Baekhyun takes a sip of his wine, while holding another refilled glass of it to Chanyeol. Chanyeol takes the wine, their fingers brushing softly in the process.

And for some reason, this feeling is stronger and warmer and lingers longer than when he’d burnt his hand on a frying pan when he was young. 

“Uhm, I finished the pasta. It’s super simple, no surprises at all. Just plain pasta with some sauce.” 

Baekhyun takes the plate Chanyeol’s offering and puts his wine glass on the counter. He takes his fork, gathers a bit of pasta and takes a bite, silently chewing with bliss written all over his face.

“It’s delicious.”

Chanyeol almost drops his wine glass. “What?”

Baekhyun places the pasta on the counter, crossing his arms loosely. “Chanyeol, this is so simple but _so _delicious,” Baekhyun says, a small smile adorning his face.

Chanyeol can’t believe it. This is the best piece of validation he’s ever received in his life. Without thinking, he walks to where Baekhyun is standing, and cups his cheeks. Baekhyun gasps softly, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Thank you so much, Baekhyun. You have no idea how much this means to me,” Chanyeol says, his eyes filled with tears as he looks fondly at his boss.

Baekhyun smiles brightly, wiping the tears from the taller’s eyes, and Chanyeol feels his heartbeat speed up.

And without thinking, he blurts out words he’d never think he’d say to his boss.

“I love you.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen so fast, panic written all over his face and his actions, as he releases himself from Chanyeol’s hold and backs away from the taller. 

“W-what?”

Chanyeol doesn’t want to repeat it, based on the reaction he’s received. “I-”

“Chanyeol, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Chanyeol shakes his head slightly. “No I-”

Silence. Then,

“Get out.”

Baekhyun’s looking at his hands, which are visibly shaking as he spits the words out, closing up on himself, all the smiles and softness gone. All replaced by the default stone-faced, cold, snobby persona that Baekhyun’s made for himself. And Chanyeol _hates_ it because he knows Baekhyun’s more compassionate than that, he’s experienced it first-hand. But he doesn’t want to fight. He needs to sort his own shit out too. So, through glassy eyes, he packs a small bag from the master bedroom (where he moved all his stuff once they started sharing a bed), and quietly shuts the front door of the apartment.

It’s then when Baekhyun breaks down in the middle of the kitchen, Chanyeol’s home ground, shaking violently, crouching down and squeezing his hands together trying to get all his pain out.

He _trusted _Chanyeol and this whole thing was supposed to be fake, but somehow he ended up falling in love? How the fuck is that even possible? And Baekhyun has no clue what love really is, he's never had a long lasting relationship. He's put his work first and has never let anyone or anything get in the way of that. But, now? He's not so sure. He's not sure about falling in love, or taking care of someone else. He's not sure how to treat a person well and love them unconditionally. He's not sure about anything. 

Chanyeol's at his apartment, crying his eyes out. He wasn't even thinking when he had confessed, maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was just Baekhyun himself that prompted the younger to say those words to him. But he doesn't regret it. Maybe it was a long time coming and he just didn't know yet. But his heart was ready. However, with Baekhyun's panicked expression, he's sure he can't go anywhere with their relationship. He tries to comprehend the past few hours. They were having fun, Baekhyun was smiling, laughing even. Baekhyun complimented his cooking and then kicked him out of his house when he confessed. What a wonderful fucking turn of events.

  


The next few days are hell for the both of them. Chanyeol goes to work with no motivation in him, cooking with no smile. His movements are robotic, and all he wants to do is to go home and cry. Jongdae tries to comfort him, but it doesn't really work, and Chanyeol has no heart to tell him to stop. And all this time, Baekhyun doesn't show up.

This routine goes on for the next week, until Jongdae spends an hour arguing with his boss on the phone, until finally he persuades Baekhyun to show up. It's painfully tense as Baekhyun never leaves the office, but just knowing that he's there, makes Chanyeol afraid. He'd never meant to hurt him. He'd never knew he'd act this way.

Once Baekhyun is done with work, he walks into an empty house. He brushes it off as it’s nothing and watches the television for hours on end. But something hurts in his chest.

Chanyeol’s house is _way_ too quiet. And boring. It doesn’t have a large kitchen and a big fluffy bed and...and Baekhyun. He sighs, tearing up for the nth time and looking up at the ceiling. He’s not expecting an answer from him, but there’s this faint piece of hope that resides in his heart, waiting for his boss to come in contact. 

Baekhyun finally gets off the couch, walking to the kitchen.   
  


“Chanyeol, did you make anything? I-”

_Oh. _

Baekhyun clenches his fists and shuts his eyes, wishing his tears wouldn’t fall. It’s too quiet in this house. He misses the irritating sound of Chanyeol chopping vegetables.

One morning, Chanyeol’s getting ready for work. And he can’t button his shirt right. He keeps skipping a clasp and he keeps redoing it. His fingers fumble as he keeps trying to button it up, not noticing the tears that are threatening to fall from his eyes and the tightening feeling in his chest.

Baekhyun can’t sleep right anymore. He just lays there, watching the ceiling. He knows why he’s not asleep, but he doesn’t want to admit it to himself. 

Chanyeol just wants to be with Baekhyun again. Even if he rejects him and hates him. He just wants to be next to him and talk to him. It’s better than whatever is going on. Chanyeol justs wants Baekhyun back.

  


Baekhyun’s napping on a Saturday afternoon, after a short crying session, when his phone is spammed with multiple messages. He groans, reaching over to the side table and grabbing his phone. Huh. Sehun and his parents. Obviously Sehun first.

[Hunnie♡]: omg B im so sorry

[Hunnie♡]: ur parents literally came to my house asking questions about u and chanyeol and me and junmyeon were so scared because like wtf? I havent seen them in years like how the hell do they know where i live?! And they were like interrogating me so i just told them the whole relationship is fake and then they literally left after that omg im so sorry.

[Hunnie♡]: i didnt mean to it just came out

[Hunnie♡]: im sorry im sorry im sorry

Baekhyun almost chokes on air as he reads and rereads what his best friend texted. He checks the group chat with his parents next.

[Unknown number 1]: Baekhyun, we know it’s all fake. We knew you would never find someone. 

[Unknown number 2]: Lying to us? Your grandmother? Who do you think you are? Oh wait, I know. A disgrace.

[Unknown number 1]: You and your “fiance” are coming to your grandmother’s house tomorrow night to explain yourselves. No excuses.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. His parents are always out to get him. This is the _reason_ why he tried to cut off all contact with them years ago. They’re so screwed up.And what are they trying to prove anyways? His grandmother is always on his side.

But the problem is Chanyeol. They’re expecting Chanyeol and he hasn’t seen him in weeks let alone talked to him. And he has no excuses anymore. He needs to do something for himself now. Not his career.

And what he needs right now is Chanyeol.

  


The next day at work has Baekhyun pacing around his office as he tries to muster up the courage to talk to Chanyeol. What does he say? What would Chanyeol think? Once everyone has left, and he knows Chanyeol’s staying after, he approaches taller. The chef is baking some classic chocolate chip cookies, the aroma spreading throughout the large kitchen. Baekhyun knocks his knuckles against the granite counter. Chanyeol whips around, eyes wide as he realizes who it is.

“Uh...hi?” Baekhyun says, avoiding eye contact and staring at the stovetop.

Chanyeol doesn’t say anything.

Baekhyun continues. “I know, we’re not on great terms-”

“And whose fault is that?” Chanyeol spits in a tone so harsh, Baekhyun starts to shake slightly in fear.

“Mine. And I’m sorry. But I need to do something. And I need you to be there.” Baekhyun holds out a hand.

Chanyeol stares for a painfully long time, cold expression in his face. It doesn’t look like Chanyeol at all. 

The taller sighs to himself. “Fine. Because I could never say no to you, even if you hurt me.”

Baekhyun winces from the subtle attack, but relaxes once the taller takes his hand.

Baekhyun leads them to his car and turns on the ignition, getting a questioning look from Chanyeol. But they don’t say anything. And so Baekhyun drives. It’s silent in the car, but it doesn’t seem as tense as Baekhyun thought it’d be. His heart is beating really fast, though, and he hopes the younger can’t hear it. His palms are clammy as they grip the steering wheel and he’s unconsciously gnawing his bottom lip. Chanyeol, on the other hand is quite content with the situation he’s in. Baekhyun isn’t shutting him out and he’s somewhat acknowledged his feelings. Which is great, if you ask him. But he has no idea where they are going, and he’d rather not ask.

They stop in front of a small little house. Chanyeol’s really lost, and it’s written all over his expression, but Baekhyun gives him a curt nod before pushing him through the door. 

Inside are Baekhyun’s parents, looking disappointed as ever, and a small, old woman who Chanyeol assumes to be Baekhyun’s grandmother. Why is he even here?

Baekhyun steps inside, immediately running to his grandmother and hugging her tightly. 

"Hello Baekhyunnie. How are you," she chuckles, petting his hair.

"Nevermind all that," Baekhyun's mother cuts in. "Your grandson is a liar."

His grandmother taps her nose, signaling their secret. Baekhyun smiles.

Chanyeol's just standing there, completely lost.

“I would have never thought that you’d lie to us. You’re a terrible person, I hope you know that,” his dad says sternly, making Baekhyun wince a little.

“First of all, _you_ were the ones who literally attacked Sehun to get answers, and _I’m _ the terrible one? How does that make sense? Second, even if I did lie to you, what does it matter? It’s not like you care about the person I am or who I’ve become. You’re just fake-ass strangers to me.”

His mom gasps and takes a step closer to him. "_Your_ relationship is fake. Everything you told us is fake. We are _not fake. _You are not engaged, you are not getting married, you are _not_ in love. You're a disgrace, Byun Baekhyun," his mother hisses.

Baekhyun fakes a long sigh. "You caught me, mom. I'm not engaged," he approaches Chanyeol, taking hold of the taller's hand. "But I am in love."

Chanyeol's jaw drops as he finds Baekhyun staring at him with a sincere expression.

His grandmother softly claps her hands. "Well, that's settled. You two may leave now." She ushers her daughter and her husband out of the house, shocked expressions on their faces. Before they drive away, she screams out the window. "You two are more disgraces than Baekhyunnie will ever be! So leave us alone!"

Baekhyun giggles, but Chanyeol still looks lost. 

His grandmother gives Baekhyun a little hug.

“Now, they won’t bother you, I hope. Just let me know if they’re bothering you, Baekhyun.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. I just don’t get why they do this.”

“I think it’s because I pampered your mother when she was young and once you came along, I gave all my attention to you.” A sigh. “Jealous of her own son. How pathetic.”

Baekhyun giggles. “Grandmother! That’s your kid!”

She smiles. “I know.”

And she heads off to her room. 

Chanyeol coughs awkwardly. Baekhyun turns to him, smiling and taking his hand. Chanyeol’s dragged upstairs into a small bedroom with a little bed in the corner. 

Baekhyun sits on the bed, looking around. “It’s my old room. When my parents ignored me I ended up coming here and staying for a while.” 

Chanyeol looks around, noticing the action figures, posters, the endless amount of cookbooks on the shelves.

“It’s homey,” Chanyeol says, quietly.

“I didn’t lie.” Chanyeol tilts his head at Baekhyun’s words. “When I said I was in love. With you.”

Chanyeol stills. “I-”

“I didn’t think I was in love. But these weeks without you…it was terrible. I felt suffocated, I needed someone. I needed you.” Baekhyun looks up at the taller as he says those last words, expression swimming in his eyes.

Chanyeol takes a step towards him and holds his hand. “You don’t have to tell me the reason if you don’t want to.”

“I want to, Chanyeol. You deserve to know.”

Chanyeol nods and sits next to him on the bed, still holding the older’s hand.

“It’s just that...I realized that I’ve grown up being shut out by my family. It’s the reason why I’m like this.” He gestures to himself. “And I never really felt what love was? I just grew up alone, with really only Sehun as my friend. I never used to date seriously when I was younger. I just put my dreams of the restaurant first. And I never looked back. I guess I found out that my youth withered away once I got too ambitious. And you came along. And I felt things in my stomach and my chest and I had no idea what to do with it. And when you...said you loved me. I was so scared. How could I care for someone when no one has ever cared for me? But without you, I felt so empty. There was no smiling, no sleeping, no _chopping. _And I needed you back in my life. You've changed me so much in such little time, Chanyeol. So, I realized that maybe I could put myself first for once. So here. I love you, Chanyeol. At least that’s what I think this feeling is.”

Chanyeol smiles, the room feeling a little brighter. Baekhyun leans in and captures the taller’s lips in a chaste kiss. Small pecks and giggles in between. 

“So, should we just get married then, baby?” Chanyeol jokes once they lean away, earning a slap on the shoulder from the older.

It’s still weird for Baekhyun, but Chanyeol soon moves out of his apartment and into Baekhyun’s. He’s still learning to open up, but Chanyeol is understanding lets Baekhyun go at his own pace. 

Once they return to work, Jongdae is smiling with a smug look on his face as he finds the chef and his boss holding hands. Baekhyun just rolls his eyes, going to his office, but Chanyeol’s grinning as he watches the older leave.

Today there’s a company gathering at the restaurant, which of course bring stress upon the entire staff. Chanyeol’s chopping some onions, trying not to be too loud, when Baekhyun barges into the kitchen. 

“Everyone! It’s a busy day! I don’t want to see anyone slacking! We’re on a tight schedule! And you!” he storms over to Chanyeol, who almost drops his knife. “Your dish needs to be served in 2 minutes. Chop chop, baby.” And then he’s slamming the kitchen door, the rest of the chefs staring with awe at what they’ve heard.

Chanyeol smiles at his boyfriend’s antics. And he continues to chop.

**Author's Note:**

> okaYYY i lowkey don't like this? like it's kinda weirdly written and i had a vision for this but it didn't turn out the way i wanted it to :(( if you hate it im sorry lol i hate it too i just posted it bc it would've been a waste if i trashed it idk im so unconfident but when i was revising i just felt like it was /missing/ something and i spent a few days thinking of what it was but i had no clue so i just gave up lol but thanks for reading if you did <333


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